To get a firm grasp on what the biathlon is exactly, we’ve got your covered here. For now, let’s focus on the rifle itself. This is what a typical biathlon rifle looks like.
The Biathlon Rifle: You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid!
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↵It sort of resembles a traditional rifle, and it sort of resembles the sort of sniper rifle you see in video games. In the Olympics, biathlon rifles fire .22 caliber rounds at upwards of 1000 feet per second. So, yes, these things are far more serious than a BB gun. It’s a bolt-action weapon and has a non-optical sight, which places even more burden of skill on the shooter.
↵Biathlon is one of the very few sports that involve rifles. Another, of course, is rifle baseball. Instead of gloves, there are rifles. Instead of a baseball, there is a rifle. Instead of a pitcher’s mound, there is a pile of rifles. It’s a clumsy, deadly, and wildly thrilling sport.
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